"Proposed peak season entrance fees and revised fees for road-based commercial tours would generate badly needed revenue for improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks", the National Park Service said in a statement.

The fee increase is proposed at the country's 17 most frequently visited national parks, including Mount Rainier and Olympic, during the peak-visitation months for each park on the list.

Currently, at Yellowstone and Zion national parks, rates are $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle and $15 for individuals on foot.

Revenue would be used to restore and improve facilities, infrastructure and visitor services, with an emphasis on deferred maintenance projects.

At Acadia, which consistently ranks among the top 10 most-visited national parks, the "peak visitor season" would stretch from June 1 to October 31. The agency is collecting public comment on the proposal through November 23.

With almost 5 million annual visits between them in 2016, Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks made the cut of most-visited parks.

It could soon become a lot more expensive to experience some of the most iconic national parks in the U.S., CNN reports.

"Targeted fee increases at some of our most visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the wonderful destinations they are visiting", said Zinke, in a prepared statement.

"The solution to our parks' fix needs can not and should not be largely shouldered by its visitors", she said, adding that the administration should work with Congress to address the maintenance backlog. "Shoring up our parks' aging infrastructure will do that".

"It's way out of line, it's a huge increase, very sudden, with no chance to really comment on it", Smith said. "With any change in fee structure, people's relationships with the park change".

In fact, in 2016 NPS had a record-breaking 331 million visits, almost eight per cent more than the year before.

Admission prices at certain national parks across the country increased in 2015 after a six-year moratorium on fee increases, PBS reported at the time.

President Donald Trump announced plans to cut the park service's budget by 12.9 percent in 2017.

The $80 annual pass that permits entrance into all federal parks would keep the same price tag.

"We should not increase fees to such a degree as to make these places - protected for all Americans to experience - unaffordable for some families to visit", Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. On top of that, they were concerned that the reduced budget would also impact their ability to protect and preserve the parks as they are, somewhat defeating the objective of having a National Park Service at all.

Paul Newman's watch breaks sales record
Cox, who was at the long-time boyfriend of Newman's daughter, was working on a treehouse with the famous actor in the mid-1980's. The watch that appears in many photos of Paul Newman is also known for its interesting history. 10/28/2017

Amazon profits steady after digesting Whole Foods
The midpoint of Amazon's guidance for that period now sits at $68 billion, including a $4.4 billion Whole Foods contribution. Management had guided for third-quarter operating income to be between a loss of $400 million and a gain of $300 million. 10/28/2017

Manchester United vs Tottenham match preview
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino then told his pre-match press conference on Friday: "For tomorrow, we can not take a risk". Manchester United haven't won the Premier League title since their famous final triumph under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. 10/28/2017

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc
Buffalo Wild Wings' new boneless wings deal was able to drive traffic to the chain without cutting into profit margins . Customers' love for half-priced wings had been hurting Buffalo Wild Wings because of "historically high" wing costs. 10/27/2017

What you need to know about the plague
When the infection reaches the bloodstream, it causes skin to turn black and die, hence its menacing name. Sufferers are likely to have painful lymph nodes , chills, fever, headaches, weakness and fatigue. 10/27/2017

Samsung launches Galaxy Studio for Malaysian fans
Also new is a feature to limit the power usage of background applications, which will make them less of a drain on battery life. HTC has confirmed that three of its devices - HTC 10, U11 and U Ultra will get Oreo's sweetness by Nov. 10/27/2017

James points the way in attack
The Cavs' bench accounted for 46 points and had a large role in keeping the game within reach after the Bulls' hot start. But with a Bulls backcourt struggling to score points, the 7-footer has become a viable option in their half-court sets. 10/26/2017

Kid Rock says, '... no, I'm not running for Senate' in MI
He beat Stabenow by 3 points when those "leaning Ritchie " were accounted for. "And I've gotten to see everyone's true colours". But with all the attention and a new album in the works, he said he told them: "Let's roll with it for a while". 10/26/2017